Saints’ Alvin Kamara Injury News Creates Early-Season Challenge

Veteran running back Alvin Kamara suffered a sprained MCL during Tuesday’s joint practice with the Dallas Cowboys, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that Kamara is expected to miss at least the next month.

The injury comes at a particularly difficult time for New Orleans. Kamara was expected to play a complementary role alongside offseason addition Travis Etienne Jr., giving the Saints one of the more intriguing running back combinations in the NFC.

Instead, the Saints will likely enter the regular season without Kamara for at least the opening portion of the schedule.

The biggest beneficiary of Kamara’s injury is Etienne, who signed a four-year, $52 million contract with New Orleans after rushing for 1,107 yards with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2025.

Etienne was once heralded as the best running back in the 2020 draft will get the spotlight. He was already expected to receive significant work in Kellen Moore’s offense, but Kamara’s absence will turn him into the bell-cow lead back to begin the season. That could mean a substantial increase in touches for Etienne, particularly on early downs and in the red zone. The Saints also could lean more heavily on him as a receiver out of the backfield.

With Kamara sidelined, next up are Devin Neal and Kendre Miller on the depth chart. Devin Neal (hamstring) and Kendre Miller (back) both returned to practice on Tuesday, ironically from injury. They could both see their role expand considerably early in the season while Kamara is sidelined.

The Saints could also look outside the organization for additional running-back depth if Kamara’s recovery takes longer than expected.

Kamara’s injury becomes even more concerning when looking at New Orleans’ September schedule.

The Saints open the season with two difficult road games, beginning September 13 at the Detroit Lions before traveling to Baltimore to face the Ravens on September 20. They then return home September 27 to host the Las Vegas Raiders.

That means Kamara could potentially miss all three September games if his recovery requires the full four-plus weeks reported by Schefter. It could be possible that Kamara will start the year on the PUP.

Kamara’s injury isn’t necessarily a season-changing development, but it does alter the Saints’ offensive plans entering September. The team already lost first-round rookie receiver Jordyn Tyson to a hamstring injury expected to keep him out for nearly two months. That is a tough pill to swallow before any games have been played and you aren’t yet out of training camp.

With Tyson sidelined and Kamara unavailable, New Orleans could have significantly less offensive firepower than anticipated when the season begins. The good news is that the Saints don’t have to reinvent their backfield completely. Etienne was brought in specifically to be the starter and signed a 4-year $48 million deal this offseason. His 1,107 rushing yards last season demonstrate that he is capable of handling a substantial workload.

Without Kamara, can Travis Etienne Jr. carry that workload efficiently enough to help New Orleans navigate a difficult opening season schedule until he returns? Kamara’s MCL injury may not keep him out for the entire month of September. Those first two games against Detroit and Baltimore could make the Saints’ path to a fast start considerably more difficult.

And for a New Orleans team hoping to take a significant step forward in 2026, Etienne and the rest of the offense will have a challenge. Can they rise to the challenge and replace the production lost by Jordyn Tyson and now Alvin Kamara?

We will get our answer when it plays out on the field this September.